Portable easel

ABSTRACT

A portable easel has three legs and a head connecting ends of the legs. Two supporting members are movably mounted on two of the legs, each of which has a movable support movable mounted thereon to be moved outwardly and inwardly. The supporting members are provided with a magnet to attract the leg while the supporting member is folded.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an easel, and more particularly to a portable easel having supporting members, which the supporting members are foldable and are secured on the easel by magnetic force while they are folded.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional easel usually comprises three legs and two supporting members mounted on the legs. Each of the legs has a plurality of telescoped or foldable tubes which may be extended to a desired height to put a picture or a display on the support supporting members.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional easel, which has a supporting member 80 mounted on a leg 82 of the easel. The supporting member 80 can be folded, in which the supporting member 80 is free for movement. The supporting member 80 also can be extended, as shown in FIG. 2, to be secured on a predetermined position of the leg 82 and to put a picture or display (not shown) thereon. While the supporting member 80 is folded, a clip 84 of the supporting member 80 restricts the supporting member 80 on the leg 82 but the supporting member 80 is still free for movement along the leg 82 without any restriction, so that the supporting member 80 might move directly to the end of the leg 82 when user does not hold it. That is inconvenient for user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a portable easel, which the supporting member can be restricted while it is folded.

According to the objective of the present invention a portable easel comprises plural legs and a head connecting ends of the legs. A supporting member is movably mounted on the leg that is manipulative to be secured at a predetermined portion of the leg and to move a distal end thereof toward the leg. A magnetic device is mounted on the supporting member to attract the leg while the distal end of the supporting member is moved toward the leg.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in part of the conventional easel, showing the supporting member folded;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view in part of the conventional easel, showing the supporting member extended;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of two sections of the leg of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the supporting member of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the supporting member of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view in part of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the supporting member extended;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view in part of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the movable support moved outwardly;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view in part of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the supporting member folded, and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view in part of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 3, the first preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a portable easel, which mainly comprises three legs 10, a head 18 and two supporting members 20.

The legs 10 are pivotally connected to the head 18, each of which has plural sections 12. Ends of the top sections 12 of the legs 10 are connected to the head 18 and the other ends of which have a threaded hole 14, the next three sections 12 have a screw 16 and a threaded hole 14 at opposite ends respectively and the bottom sections 12 only have a screw 16 at ends thereof. The sections 12 are connected together via the screws 16 screwed into the thread holes 14 of neighboring sections 12, as shown in FIG. 4. The character of the present invention is that the sections 12 of the legs 10 are made of a material that can be attracted by magnetic force, such as iron or copper. The bottom sections 12 of the legs 10 are thicker than the other sections to provide a well support for the easel of the present invention standing on the ground.

As shown in FIG. 5, the supporting members 20 each have a base 22 and a movable support 24. The base 22 has a rail 26 and a clip 28 at an end of the rail 26. The rail 26 has two flanges 30 at opposite sides thereof, holes 32 below the flanges 30, a guiding slot 34 on a concave top thereof and ribs 36 on a bottom thereof. The clip 28 has two arms 38, a bolt 40 inserted into holes 42 of the arms 38 adjacent to distal ends thereof and a nut 44 screwed onto the bolt 40. The movable support 24 has a channel 46 with a slot 48, three protrusions 50 at each of opposite walls thereof, a post 52 projected from a bottom of the channel 46 and plural recesses 54 on a top thereof. The rail 26 of the base 22 is inserted into the channel 46 of the movable support 24 with the flanges 30 received in the slots 48 and the post 52 engaged with the guiding slot 34, so that the movable support 24 is movable along the rail 26 and the engagement of the post 52 the guiding slot 34 restricts the movable support 24 from separation, as shown in FIG. 6. The protrusions 50 on the walls of the channel 46 of the movable support 24 are engaged with the holes 32 on the rail 26 of the base 22 to position the movable support 24 at predetermined positions. The ribs 36 provide the rail 26 a well strength to support the movable support 24. Each of the supporting members 24 is provided with a magnetic device 56 in a slot 58 on the top thereof. The magnetic device 56 is a magnet in the present preferred embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the supporting members 20 are mounted on two of the legs 10 respectively with the legs 10 received in between the arms 38 of the clip 28. The supporting members 20 are movable along the legs 10 by loosing the bolt 40 and the nut 44 and are secured at desirable positions by tightening the bolt 40 and the nut 44. While the supporting members 20 are secured at predetermined positions of the legs 10, the movable supports 24 can be drawn outwardly along the rail 26 to put a thick frame or display (not shown) thereon, as shown in FIG. 8, or they can be moved inwardly to put a thin frame or display (not shown) thereon, as shown in FIG. 7. The frame or display can rest in any recess 54 on the top of the movable support 24 for adjustment of the tilting angle of the frame or display.

The supporting members 20 also are foldable while the bolt 40 and the nut 44 are loosed. As shown in FIG. 9, while a distal end of the supporting member 20 is moved toward the leg 10 and is attached on the leg 10, the magnetic device 56 mounted on the supporting member 20 attracts the leg 10 to restrict the supporting member in the folded condition. In this condition, the magnet device 56 not only restricts the supporting member 20 in the folded condition but also restricts the supporting member 20 from movement along the leg 10.

As shown in FIG. 10, a portable easel of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is similar to the easel of first preferred embodiment, comprises a leg 60 and a supporting member 62 mounted on the leg 60. The supporting member 62 has a base 64 and a movable support 66 movably mounted on the base 64. The base 64 has a clip 68 and a rail 70, between which a joint 72 is provided. As a result, the movable support 66 and the rail 70 are foldable toward the leg 60 and a magnetic device 74 mounted on the movable support 66 can attract the leg 60. 

1. A portable easel, comprising: plural legs, each of which has a plurality of sections connected together and at least one of the sections is made of a material that can be attracted by a magnetic force; a head connecting ends of the legs; a supporting member movably mounted on the leg that is manipulative to be secured at a predetermined portion of the leg and to move a distal end thereof toward the leg; a magnetic device mounted on the supporting member to attract the leg while the distal end of the supporting member is moved toward the leg.
 2. The portable easel as defined in claim 1, wherein the supporting member has a base and a movable support, which an end of the base is movably mounted on the leg and the movable support is connected to the base for movement along the base.
 3. The portable easel as defined in claim 2, wherein the magnetic device is mounted on the movable support.
 4. The portable easel as defined in claim 2, wherein the base and the movable support respectively has a hole and a protrusion to be engaged with the hole while the movable support is moved to a predetermined position.
 5. The portable easel as defined in claim 2, wherein the base has a rail and the movable support has a channel fitted to the rail.
 6. The portable easel as defined in claim 5, wherein the rail is pivotally connected to the base.
 7. The portable easel as defined in claim 5, wherein the base and the movable member respectively have a flange and a slot on the rail and on a wall of the channel and the flange is received in the slot.
 8. The portable easel as defined in claim 2, wherein movable support has at least a recess on a top thereof.
 9. The portable easel as defined in claim 2, wherein the base and the movable member respectively have an elongated guiding slot and a post engaged with the slot. 